From Bunker Hill Revisited - Volume Four 1901-1910 - by Carl Stanton
"The Old Red Mill"
June 4, 1909: My attention has been called to a short paragraph in the county papers, all of whom seem to be at a loss to locate the "old red mill", which was known for years as the "red mill" and, by the way, the red paint, of two coats, placed on the outside woodwork of the building in August of 1866, at which time, I owned a third interest in that property, including 20 acres of land, about a dozen houses and one large cooper shop.
The original mill building was constructed by P.C. Huggins and Charles Parmenter, about 1850, as a flour mill. Later on, an addition was built to the north side and fitted up with cotton mill machinery, where batting and cotton goods were made. This was continued until the Civil War, which made cotton scarce and prices so high it was discontinued; and the machinery, after being idle for four or five years, was sold.
The old red mill was situated on the line of what is now the Big Four Railroad, about one mile northeast of Bunker Hill (this area is about where Mansholt Road and the railroad tracks crossed). Later, it was converted into a cheese factory and creamery, where wagon loads of good cheese was brought to this city and sold to our merchants. Finally, this failed as a paying business and the old mill fell into disuse, was torn down, and sold for lumber.
For many years, the old red mill was the landmark of that locality. I was a partner in the mill from August 1866 until I sold to John Richards, and A.G. Davis of Carlinville.
Stanton, Carl L. . "Bunker Hill News 1909." In Bunker Hill Revisited, Volume Four, 1901-1910, p. 37. Bunker Hill: Bunker Hill Publications, 2003. Provided by the Bunker Hill Historical Society.
